Friday overview

After the downpours which blighted T's debut as a three day festival last year, many arrived on site expecting the worst, and the preceding rain, along with a few thousand pairs of feet, meant that fears of a repeat performance were clearly heightened. Thankfully, by the time Newton Faulkner opened the main stage at 6pm, the sun had burned through the clouds, and the small yet vocal crowd were left to enjoy his pleasantly distracting set in peace.



Showcasing his superb debut album, 'Handbuilt By Robots', Faulkner put in a near flawless shift, proving that the concept of one man and an acoustic guitar can be pushed much further than most even attempt. Numbers such as 'Dream Catch Me' and 'Straight Towards The Sun' were the perfect way to open the first day of the festival, and Newton Faulkner is sure to have sold a few more albums this week, after what was a superb performance from one of the weekend's highlights.

Over on the NME/Radio1 Stage, The Wombats showed that sometimes what you need is to simply dispense with the heavyweight soul searching and invasive self-reflection, and just enjoy yourself. They are clearly a band who relish what they do, and their enthusiasm is infectious. The rapidly growing crowd lapped up the hits and the album tracks alike, and by the time the band rolled out a storming take on 'Kill The Director', they could do no wrong. The Wombats, despite their lightweight reputation, could well turn out to be the perfect festival band. Great tunes played in the sun. It doesn't really get much better, does it?



If The Wombats are to become the perfect festival band, they will need to oust the old guard. Feeder popped up here, just as they do everywhere else, and to be honest, if you've seen them once, you've seen every show they've ever played. 'Come Back Around', 'Just A Day' and 'Feeling a Moment' and 'Just a Day' kept the fans happy while everyone else enjoyed a few pints in the sun. Not bad, just the same as they always are.

Much the same can be said of Stereophonics. Kelly Jones et al turned up and churned out the hits to a largely appreciative yet unexcited crowd. 'The Bartender and the Thief' is one track which any band would kill to have in their catalogue, and it was no surprise that it stood out a mile in this set. 'Local Boy In The Photograph' and 'A Thousand Trees' haven't aged as well as the band might have hoped, and both fell a little flat under the weight of expectation, whilst newer material including 'Mr Writer' and closing track 'Dakota' proved that Stereophonics could indeed break new ground, but they need to lose the shackles of past glories first. Whether they want to is another matter entirely, however.



When it comes to trading on past glories, The Verve might well have written the book. The difference between them and Stereophonics is that The Verve don't make any bones about it, and they do it well. Richard Ashcroft is one of the best songwriters this country has produced in years, and he still has the power to ignite a crowd. Tonight's show was no different, and right from the brilliantly confrontational 'This Is Music' it was clear that the band were up for this one.

The set featured everything you might want from a Verve show, with 'Space and Time' showcasing the expansive, ethereal heights that they can reach, whilst 'The Rolling People' showed that britpop isn't dead, it's just been asleep for a while. Close your eyes, and you could have been right back in 1997.

Ashcroft was typically belligerent, asking "How many of you lot have wrote a classic?" before launching into The Verve's trademark 'Bittersweet Symphony'. It was simply a perfect festival moment. No wonder the band thinks they can do no wrong, when after doing nothing for years, they can come back and still command this kind of devotion.

Closing the impressive set with forthcoming single 'Love is Noise' could have been a mistake, if it wasn't so bloody good. Ashcroft and company have managed to bridge the gap between then and now perfectly, and if the single is any indication of the quality of the rest of the album, The Verve may just be crowned as the comeback kings come the end of the year.

As the first day of T in the Park 2008 came to a close, few could argue that it hadn't been a success. The organisers may be guilty of lacking in imagination somewhat, but the bands they employed to open the show did their thing and generally they did it well. I was just happy to go back to a dry-ish tent!

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